Those who saw Broadway’s first “Fiddler on the Roof” caught him as Motel the Tailor; those who watch TV have probably seen him on “Oz” and “Homicide.” These days Austin Pendleton’s more often behind the scenes, directing stars like Maggie Gyllenhaal and shows like off-Broadway’s “Luft Gangster” when he isn’t teaching acting at HB Studio. And to think, he came to NYC 50 years ago to be a writer! Instead, he landed a part in the hit play “Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feeling So Sad” and nearly had a breakdown. “It was the most traumatic year of my life,” Pendleton says of trying to master the role. A co-star steered him to acting guru Uta Hagen for guidance, “and here I am!” And here are his books.

A Challenge for the Actor

by Uta Hagen

She wrote two books, the first called “Respect for Acting,” then felt she hadn’t said everything she wanted to, so she wrote this. It’s just what she taught: the techniques, the exercises, how to work on a role. I take it with me when I go out of town. I can open it at random and find the answer to whatever I’m working on.

Canada

by Richard Ford

It’s extraordinary! It starts in Montana, with a brother and sister. The family’s running out of money, and their dad plans to rob a bank. It’s told from the point of view of the son, who grows up in Canada, and it’s really haunting. Ford writes in this deliberately detached prose that lets you know the boy is trying to process things, which makes it heartbreaking.

Anything Your Little

Heart Desires

by Patricia Bosworth

This is Patricia Bosworth’s brilliant biography of her father, Bartley Crum, a famous lawyer of the ’40s and ’50s who had the painful task of interviewing hundreds of refugees who survived the Nazis. A very sensitive man, he ended up committing suicide.

Seek My Face

by John Updike

Updike wrote so many books, people lost track of them. I found this one when I was in the Caribbean with my family, on a shelf in the computer room. It’s about an interview between an art student and a woman artist who’d been married three times, the first to someone who was clearly Jackson Pollock. As always with Updike, the details are marvelous.